Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Christianity and Making America Great Again

By Rudy Barnes, Jr.

Christians have long claimed that their religion is the foundation of America’s greatness.  But the truth is that America’s greatness is based on its economic and military power; and Christianity has sanctified those worldly powers in derogation of the teachings of Jesus.  America the Beautiful is a great hymn of what America should be, but isn’t; the Battle Hymn of the Republic or Onward Christian Soldiers is more descriptive of the American religious ethic.

America is more politically polarized today than since its Civil War.  Over 70% of Americans claim to be Christians but most of them oppose the compromises needed for a politics of reconciliation.  If America were truly a Christian nation, its people would follow the altruistic moral imperatives taught by Jesus and promote a politics of reconciliation; but the opposite is true.  We are a nation divided along partisan lines defined by competing identity groups.

America is not alone.  Radical right nationalism is undermining democracy around the world.  It promotes the supremacy of a dominant religion, race or ethnic group over others, and populist demagogues in America and Europe have stoked the fears of their constituencies over a wave of immigration from the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

Religion is part of the problem, so it should also be part of the solution.  America’s greatness in a world of increasing pluralism requires a politics of reconciliation to overcome its bitter divisions, but Christianity has long promoted its supremacy and exclusivity as the one true faith, making it part of the problem.  A politics of reconciliation in America should be based on the altruistic and universal teachings of Jesus as a moral foundation for equal justice under law.

The reasons that the church has derogated the universal teachings of Jesus to exclusivist church beliefs should be obvious.  The worldly power of the church has always depended on its popularity, and Jesus made it clear that following his teachings on altruistic love was a narrow way for the few, not a broad or popular way for the many. (see Matthew 7:13-14)  

The teachings of Jesus are summarized in the greatest commandment to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves, including our neighbors of other races and religions.  That love command is considered a common word of faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, and it should be considered a common word of their politics as well as their faith.  

The altruistic teachings of Jesus are universal in contrast to exclusivist church doctrines.  Jesus emphasized reconciliation and peace and considered all who did the will of God to be his brothers and sisters.  Jesus was a Jew who did not favor any religion over others, but the church subordinated his universal moral teachings to exclusivist Christian doctrines of belief that are conducive to divisive religious and political loyalties that produce hatred and violence.

History reveals the toxic mix of religion and politics.  Institutional Christianity has been corrupted by its unholy alliances with politics and worldly power, beginning in the 4th century when Constantine co-opted Christianity to sanctify the conquests of the Roman Empire, and continuing through the Crusades and Inquisitions of the Middle Ages, followed by the Reformation of the 16th century and its progeny of religious wars throughout Europe.

For America to become great in an increasingly pluralistic world, American Christians must reject their exclusivist religious doctrines and promote a politics of reconciliation based on the greatest commandment as God’s word.  That’s a daunting challenge since the worldly power of Christianity is based on its popularity, and loving those of other religions and races and accepting Christianity as a true faith, but not the only true faith, will not be popular.

Notes:

For interactive maps that show that America is more diverse than ever--but still segregated, see https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/national/segregation-us-cities/?utm_term=.269a0751a640&wpisrc=nl_evening&wpmm=1

Pew Research Center surveys on the public, the political system and American Democracy reveal that most Americans see their country falling short of democratic ideals and values, with more Republicans than Democrats who believe that the American political system is working well. See

http://www.people-press.org/2018/04/26/the-public-the-political-system-and-american-democracy/

Related Commentary:

(12/8/14): Religion and Reason

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2014/12/religion-and-reason.html

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http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/01/the-greatest-commandment-common-word-of.html

(2/8/15): Promoting Religion Through Evangelism: Bringing Light or Darkness?

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/02/promoting-religion-through-evangelism.html

(5/3/15): A Fundamental Problem with Religion

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/05/a-fundamental-problem-with-religion.html

(6/7/15): The Future of Religion: In Decline and Growing

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(6/28/15): Confronting the Evil Among Us

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/06/confronting-evil-among-us.html

(7/5/15): Reconciliation as a Remedy for Racism and Religious Exclusivism

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/07/reconciliation-as-remedy-for-racism-and.html

(7/26/15): Fear and Fundamentalism

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/07/fear-and-fundamentalism.html

(9/6/15): The European Refugee Crisis and Radical Islam

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(11/15/15): American Exceptionalism: The Power of Persuasion or Coercion?

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(1/23/16): Who Is My Neighbor?

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/01/who-is-my-neighbor.html

(1/30/16): The Politics of Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/01/the-politics-of-loving-our-neighbors-as.html

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(7/2/16): The Need for a Politics of Reconciliation in the Wake of Globalization

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Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Nostalgia as an Obstacle to Progress

 By Rudy Barnes, Jr.

        Christianity is in transition and in decline, so it’s only natural that Christians are nostalgic about the “good old days.”  But when nostalgia distorts reason and blocks progress it corrupts both religion and politics. That’s what happened when most white Christians elected as their president a narcissistic and belligerent charlatan whose moral standards are the antithesis of those taught by Jesus in the vain hope that he would make America great again.  

        Religions that reject progressive change are destined to decline and fade away.  Since the 18th century Enlightenment, the threat of change based on reason and advances in knowledge has produced fundamentalist Jews, Christians and Muslims who have been motivated by religious nostalgia to protect their ancient religious doctrines from any change.

        Since the 1950s, an unholy alliance of big business, the Republican Party and fundamentalist Christian neo-evangelicals have evolved into a powerful radical right political force with a prosperity gospel that has its theological roots in ancient Jewish beliefs that God rewards the faithful with worldly success.  It contradicts the altruistic social gospel taught by Jesus that has been at the heart of traditional evangelicalism since the 19th century.

        Neo-evangelical leaders like Jerry Falwell, Jr., Joel Osteen, Paula White, Robert Jeffress, Tony Perkins and Ralph Reed have promoted the prosperity gospel, but mainline Protestant pastors have not challenged them—perhaps since most of their white congregants support Trump and his Republican minions.  A minority of evangelicals, however, like Michael Gerson and Jim Wallis have challenged Trump’s neo-evangelicals and the cheap grace of their prosperity gospel.

        Christianity is a religion of great diversity, including Catholics, traditional Protestants, Pentecostals, Progressive Christians and many other variations that differ primarily in their mystical beliefs.  But all Christian denominations revere the moral teachings of Jesus as the word of God—all except those neo-evangelicals who support Trump and his prosperity gospel.

        While Christians differ in how they relate their faith to politics, none deny the relevance of the moral teachings of Jesus to the stewardship of democracy.  Jesus never addressed the topic of democracy since it was not relevant in his ancient time and place; but the virtues of altruistic love taught by Jesus are not only relevant to modern democracy but essential to its greatest challenge, which is to balance individual rights with providing for the common good.  

The wistful and sometimes hostile nostalgia of neo-evangelicals causes them to look backward through rose-colored glasses rather than forward.  Making America great again is euphemism for maintaining the white privilege of the past, but demographics indicate the days of white privilege are slipping away with a future that will belong to a more pluralistic world.

Nostalgia—a love for the past—is an obstacle to progress in religion and politics when it negates reason; and religious leaders who promote nostalgic religion at the expense of reason and progress are not only denying the teachings of Jesus but also aiding and abetting demagogues like Donald Trump.  If the church does not refute the prosperity gospel by restoring the teachings of Jesus as the heart of its standards of legitimacy, then Jesus must be saved from the church.

Christianity is not alone in promoting the past at the expense of the future.  Islamists are to Islam what neo-evangelicals are to Christianity. Like Christian neo-evangelicals, Islamists appeal to religious nostalgia and a fear of change by promoting ancient religious laws (Sharia) unsuited for modern times, sometimes with violence.   Muhammad, like Jesus, emphasized altruistic moral standards; but like Moses and Joshua, Muhammad also led his people in battle.

Both Christianity and Islam must conform with progressive change if they are to survive in a modern pluralistic world.  They already have a common word of faith to guide them; it is the greatest commandment to love God and their neighbors—including their neighbors of other races and religions—as they love themselves.  It should be a common word of both faith and politics.        

Notes:

Michael Gerson is an evangelical lamenting that Trump evangelicals have sold their souls (see https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-evangelicals-have-sold-their-souls/2018/03/12/ba7fe0f8-262c-11e8-874b-d517e912f125_story.html?utm_term=.843013911d7c&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1, and that Trump evangelicals are motivated by cultural nostalgia (see  https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-do-we-tame-trumpisms-virulent-nostalgia-for-an-old-status-quo/2018/04/26/f96e13).

Jim Wallis has joined with other prominent evangelical leaders concerned about neo-evangelicals corrupting their faith and advocated reclaiming Jesus from the Trump evangelicals. See https://sojo.net/articles/reclaiming-jesus-trump-evangelicals. Wallis has traced evangelical Christianity from 1970s Chicago to 2018 Wheaton: a timeline of evangelical backsliding.  See https://sojo.net/articles/1970s-chicago-2018-wheaton-timeline-evangelical-backsliding.

Stephen Carter has cited demographics that indicate the future of Christianity belongs to blacks, Hispanics and Asians, not white people. See https://apple.news/ALGqSBzDtSZOoiEPUCCsw8g.

John Bennison has discussed the transitory nature of beliefs, noting Robin Meyers’ (author of Saving Jesus from the Church) view that faith is about being, not believing; the multiplicity of Christian creeds, and Bishop John Shelby Spong’s vision of a form of progressive Christianity.  See https://progressivechristianity.org/resources/the-transitory-nature-of-beliefs-part-i/.

Hanadi Jordan, a Muslim, argues that religion needs an organizational reformation, noting the manipulation of Muslims by their religious leaders.  He is critical of religious leaders who are obstacles to progress by using their authority to discourage criticism of Islam.  He says, “This creates a culture of incurious people who comply with teachings, laws and rules without question.” See https://theaggie.org/2018/04/10/religion-needs-an-organizational-reformation/.                

Related commentary:

(12/8/14): Religion and Reason

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2014/12/religion-and-reason.html

(1/11/15): The Greatest Commandment: A Common Word of Faith

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/01/the-greatest-commandment-common-word-of.html

(2/8/15): Promoting Religion Through Evangelism: Bringing Light or Darkness?

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/02/promoting-religion-through-evangelism.html

(5/3/15): A Fundamental Problem with Religion

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/05/a-fundamental-problem-with-religion.html

(6/7/15): The Future of Religion: In Decline and Growing

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/06/the-future-of-religion-in-decline-and.html

(7/26/15): Fear and Fundamentalism

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/07/fear-and-fundamentalism.html

(8/9/15): Balancing Individual Rights with Collective Responsibilities

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2015/08/balancing-individual-rights-with.html

(1/23/16): Who Is My Neighbor?

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/01/who-is-my-neighbor.html

(1/30/16): The Politics of Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/01/the-politics-of-loving-our-neighbors-as.html

(2/7/16): Jesus Meets Muhammad on Issues of Religion and Politics

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/02/jesus-meets-muhammad-on-issues-of.html

(4/2/16): The Freedom of Religion and Providing for the Common Good

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/04/the-freedom-of-religion-and-providing.html

(7/2/16): The Need for a Politics of Reconciliation in the Wake of Globalization

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/07/the-need-for-politics-of-reconciliation.html

(7/23/16): Reconciliation and Reality

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/07/reconciliation-and-reality.html

(9/17/16): A Moral Revival to Restore Legitimacy to Our Politics

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/09/a-moral-revival-to-restore-legitimacy.html

(10/8/16): Revolutionaries, Moderates and Reactionaries in a Polarized Democracy

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/10/revolutionaries-moderates-and.html

(11/26/16): Irreconcilable Differences and the Demise of Democracy

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/11/irreconcilable-differences-and-demise.html

(12/3/16): Righteous Anger in Religion and Politics

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/12/righteous-anger-in-religion-and-politics.html

(12/17/16): Discipleship in a Democracy: A Test of Faith, Legitimacy and Politics

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2016/12/discipleship-in-democracy-test-of-faith.html

(1/7/17): Religion and Reason as Sources of Political Legitimacy, and Why They Matter

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/01/religion-and-reason-as-sources-of.html

(1/21/17): Religion and Reason Redux: Religion Is Ridiculous

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/01/religion-and-reason-redux-religion-is.html

(1/28/17): Saving America from the Church

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/01/saving-america-from-church.html

(2/4/17): When Confrontation Trumps Reconciliation in Politics and Religion

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/02/when-confrontation-trumps.html

(2/25/17): The Need for a Revolution in Religion and Politics

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/02/the-need-for-revolution-in-religion-and.html

(3/4/17): Ignorance and Reason in Religion and Politics

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/02/the-need-for-revolution-in-religion-and.html

(4/22/17): The Relevance of Jesus and the Irrelevance of the Church in Today’s World

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/04/the-relevance-of-jesus-and-irrelevance.html

(7/15/17) Religion and Progressive Politics

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/07/religion-and-progressive-politics.html.

(9/9/17): The Evolution of the American Civil Religion and Habits of the Heart http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/09/the-evolution-of-american-civil.html.

(9/23/17): Tribalism and the American Civil Religion  

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/09/tribalism-and-american-civil-religion.html.

(10/7/17): A 21st Century Reformation to Restore Reason to American Civil Religion http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/10/a-21st-century-reformation-to-restore.html.

(11/18/17): Radical Religion and the Demise of Democracy

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/11/radical-religion-and-demise-of-democracy_18.html.

(12/16/17): Can Democracy Survive the Trump Era?

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/12/can-democracy-survive-trump-era.html.

(12/23/17): If Democracy Survives the Trump Era, Can the Church Survive Democracy? http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2017/12/if-democracy-survives-trump-era-can.html.

(1/20/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Morality and Religion in Politics

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/01/musings-of-maverick-methodist-on_20.html.

(1/27/18): Musings on Conflicting Concepts of Christian Morality in Politics

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/01/musings-on-conflicting-concepts-of.html.

(3/3/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on America’s Holy War

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/03/musings-of-maverick-methodist-on.html.

(3/24/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on Christian Morality as a Standard of Legitimacy http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/03/musings-of-maverick-methodist-on_24.html

(3/31/18): Altruism: The Missing Ingredient in American Christianity and Democracy

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/03/altruism-missing-ingredient-in-american.html.

(4/7/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Need for a Moral Reformation

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/04/musings-of-maverick-methodist-on-need.html.

(4/28/18): Musings of a Maverick Methodist on the Virtues and Vices of Christian Morality

http://www.religionlegitimacyandpolitics.com/2018/04/musings-of-maverick-methodist-on.html.